


I am Karina

by milksichengtea



Category: Aespa (Band), BLACKPINK (Band), BoA (Musician), NCT (Band), f(x), 소녀시대 | Girls' Generation | SNSD
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Avatars, Dystopia, F/F, Fantasy, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Monsters, Romantic Comedy, Science Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Superpowers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-11 08:47:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28468521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/milksichengtea/pseuds/milksichengtea
Summary: Until yesterday, 20-year-old Yoo Jimin was working two jobs trying to make ends meet. Then everything changed way too quickly, in ways that were totally crazy and well, kind of totally cool.She discovers that she’s an Avatar, mysterious individuals that possess unique powers and have the ability to cross into alternate dimensions. Since the beginning of time, monsters from other dimensions called “Anti-Avatars” or “Antis” for short, have slipped into earth and caused chaos. In recent years, these events have begun increasing in frequency, creating a whole lot of work for Avatar Guilds around the world, including the one Jimin finds herself joining - Aespa.A journey is about to unfold for Jimin, one that will catapult her into an adventure where she meets amazing friends - and formidable foes - along the way in her struggle to fight the silent war against Antis and save the world.
Relationships: Dong Si Cheng | WinWin/Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun, Kim Minjeong | Winter/Yoo Jimin | Karina
Comments: 9
Kudos: 28





	1. I am Karina (Guidebook)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll leave Chapter 1 up as a guide for your reference. Please proceed into "Chapter 2" for the actual first chapter of the fic~

**~Author's Note~**

**♡ =** means that some time has passed within the same scene.

♥♥♥ = means that a significant amount of time has passed and/or a transition into a new scene. ****

**♥♥♥**

**~Special Definitions~**

_*Some of the terminology is borrowed from Aespa's official lore! Although I've put my own spin on it..._

**Avatars** \- people with the ability to cross into alternate dimensions and possess unique powers. Avatars are found all over the world and their powers are "awakened" when they meet another Avatar. Avatars also have the ability to wipe the short-term memories of normal people that have witnessed anything extra-ordinary. 

**Affinity** \- the unique power that each individual Avatar possesses. There are different kinds of Affinities, including elemental, transformation, weaponry, and super-human Affinities. Avatars are ranked into different classes (SS, S, A, B, C, D, F) by other Avatars based on their power. There's even a global scoreboard between them to see who can fight the most crime...

 **Antis** \- monsters, evil entities, and otherworldly threats from alternate dimensions that only seek to cause chaos across planets in different universes. Like Avatars, different species of Antis are ranked based on class (SS, S, A, B, C, D, F).

 **Guilds** \- bands of Avatars that work to fight crime and chaos caused by Antis. These may range anywhere from shoplifting to all-out war...

 **Café SMile (SM)** \- the fully functional modern café that Taeyeon owns in Seoul, which doubles as the super-secret HQ for her Guild (also called "SMile", or "SM" for short) and a home for the younger Avatars she’s taken under her wing. 

**Aespa** \- the name of a team of Avatars in Taeyeon’s Guild consisting of Yoo Jimin, Aeri Uchinaga, Kim Minjeong, and Ning Yizhou.

 **Navis** \- a special smartphone invented by Mark that can be used by Avatars to communicate with each other (Mac-compatible).

**Rekall -** a function of the Navis that allows Taeyeon's Guild members to warp back to Café SMile.

 **Synk -** when an awakened Avatar connects with an unawakened Avatar to awaken their Affinity.

 **Kwangya** \- a machine invented by Mark, intended to allow Avatars to cross over to alternate dimensions at will. Although it’s currently still under construction...

♥♥♥

**~Avatar Profiles~**

_*Will be updated as characters are introduced!_

**♡Protagonists♡**

**Yoo Jimin "Karina" (20)** \- the newest recruit at Guild SMile and the newest member of Aespa. Other people's first impression of her is usually that she's chic and cold, when in reality she's actually a little shy and easily scared. Possesses super-human strength. Is still learning to use her powers, and may break a few things in the process...

 **Kim Minjeong "Winter" (19)** \- a member of Aespa, and Taeyeon's little sister. A total goofball with a heart of gold. Has the ability to freeze anything she touches.

 **Aeri Uchinaga "Giselle" (20)** \- ??? coming soon...

 **Ning Yizhou "Ningning" (18)** \- ??? coming soon...

 **Kim Taeyeon (31)** \- Winter's big sister and founder of the SMile avatar guild in Seoul, which is camouflaged in plain sight as a trendy café. Currently the mentor (and manager) of her new team of Avatars, Aespa. Can create force fields that can absorb and exert an indefinite amount of energy.

 **Mark Lee (21)** \- Taeyeon and Winter's cousin from Vancouver, Canada. Possesses super-human intelligence and has a passion for machine engineering and inventing+developing new technology. The "brain" of Aespa (although he doesn't always choose to use it).

 **Jung Jaehyun (23)** \- ??? coming soon...

 **Dong Sicheng (23)** \- ??? coming soon...

~

**♡Villains♡**

??? coming soon...

~

**♡Rivals♡**

??? coming soon...

♥♥♥

**~Avatars Power Ranking~**

*Updated Dec 31, 2020

♥♥♥

**~Café SMile Floor Plan~**


	2. Reborn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our hero, Yoo Jimin, finds herself being thrust from her boring life into a world she could never have imagined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone <3 Happy new year! I hope you enjoy the first chapter :) It's a bit of a wild ride, but hopefully you have fun while following our Jimin during her fateful encounter with a monster and her new mentor... as well as a new girl ;)

♥♥♥

_See me now?_ 항상 봤던 저 거울에 _yeah_

_Am I synked out? Can't see where my reflection at..._

_Feeling so dizzy_ 더 흐릿해질 때

희미하게 보이는 _silhouette_ 묘한 

느낌 _where you at?_

♡

Yoo Jimin thought herself an ordinary girl. 

Kinda.

She worked a day job at her local convenience store, and at night as a delivery girl for a takeout company. She worked her ass off six days a week, but that meant she made enough money to live comfortably. Well, within her own means that is.

In high school, she was a bit of a wallflower, but admittedly, she missed the few friends that she had. Jealous, even. After graduating last year, they had all gone off to prestigious universities in Seoul, while she was stuck in Seongnam trying to make enough money to even _consider_ going to university. 

For as long as she could remember, she’d been alone - as a kid, passed around from foster home to foster home, until she’d finally put her foot down at eighteen and decided to live on her own after she had had enough. Even if it meant working two jobs and living in a crappy studio apartment the size of a walk-in closet in a shabby neighborhood.

It’s been two years since then, and she still hasn’t really gone anywhere.

_Is this what my life is going to be?_

“-min...? Jimin, you’re- Are you okay?” 

A familiar voice, breaking her away from her own spiralling thoughts. Jimin looked over her shoulder to see her smiling coworker, Wendy, already with her uniform on.

“Oh, um… yeah. I was just daydreaming, I guess.”

Wendy gave her a sympathetic look. “Well, your shift is over, silly. You have a night off from deliveries right? You should go home and take a rest,” she chides, clocking in at the register. “You’ve been looking so stressed recently.”

“Yeah, I don’t know what it is, I just… Thanks Wendy,” she sighs. Jimin let herself smile back. She untied her apron from behind her and took off the ugly barf-green employee cap sitting haphazardly over her head, hanging them on her hook in the back room. Grabbing her backpack, she stepped out into the cold, bitter night. 

While other girls her age were out drinking and partying with their friends on a Friday night, or out gallivanting the streets of South Korea with their boyfriends, all she could think about was going home to her human shoebox and wrapping herself in a blanket as she watched variety shows with a bowl of instant ramen.

Tonight felt a little different.

♡

다시 눈떠 _like I'm reborn_

거울 속에 보여 _little different_

 _All black_ 검은 색의 _villain_

느릿하게 걸어 _black mamba_

♡

The walk home from the convenience store wasn’t too long, but it meant going through a few nondescript neighborhoods in the remote parts of the city, illuminated only by a couple of streetlights sparsely dispersed along the sidewalk.

She checks her phone for the time. _12:00am._

_Huh. That’s weird._ The streets of Seongnam were empty tonight. Usually there’d be at least a few people on a stroll or the occasional car. But tonight… 

Suddenly, she feels a presence behind her.

Whipping her head around, she scans the sidewalk and the street for any signs of someone following her. Nothing. Probably just her imagination. She’d always had a wild one - her old friends had teased her for it, her teachers constantly scolding her during classes for excessive daydreaming. _Come on Jimin, stop scaring yourself,_ she shook her head. _You’ve walked this same way home a thousand times before. You’re fine,_ she reminded herself, patting her cheeks a few times with her hands.

She took a few more steps before hearing a small voice giggling behind her.

Her eyes widened as she turns around again. “Is… is anyone there?” She called out, a little quietly at first. “Hello?” She asks a little louder. “Wendy? Is that you?”

Only silence.

Was her mind playing tricks on her, or were the boys in the neighborhood playing some stupid prank? She had to turn a few of them down several times after they tried asking her out. Were those assholes getting back at her now?

She continued to scan the horizon for someone when at last, she makes out a fast-moving figure in the distance, running down the middle of the road, in her direction. Hold on. Was he running toward… her? The man, realizing she’d noticed him, starts running faster. He was sprinting now. Making a beeline. For her.

She screams.

Jimin starts running, as fast as her long legs could carry her, in the direction of home. She’s glad she ran track in high school. Her adrenaline was pumping through her veins, but it would only carry her so far. “Someone, help!” She yelled into the darkness. Her heart was pumping so fast it could fall out of her chest.

She could feel the man behind her getting closer and closer. She could hear his footsteps now, what sounded like bare feet slapping against the asphalt road, running at a pace almost twice as fast as she was in her old sneakers. 

Her energy was waning, her pace slowing down. Until she could feel his breath on her neck. 

She screams again, and in her shock, trips over her own feet, falling to the ground. Hard. She grimaces as she feels her hands and knees scrape against the floor. “Please,” she cries, ignoring the pain, turning around to face the man that was fast approaching her. “Don’t hurt me, I… I have money. Here,” she takes out her wallet from her bag as the man slows down and stops running, cautiously walking closer to her. She frantically fumbles around for her wallet, taking out all the cash she had in it, holding it out to him. 

He’s wearing a black cape, with a hood covering his face in the darkness of the night. He’s taller than her, bigger than her. Faster than her.

There’s no response.

“Please,” she says quietly. “Don’t hurt me.” She feels tears well up in her eyes.

The hooded figure stands over her, starting to pace in circles around her with his hands behind his back. “Intere _sssss_ ting,” she can hear him finally say, in a deep voice, so raspy that it almost sounded like nails on a chalkboard.

He takes off his hood, revealing his face. 

Jimin screams again.

The man’s skin was gray and covered with scales, with large, beady eyes that were completely black. His head was completely bald, and as he smiled, she saw that his teeth were yellow and pointed, like fangs. He looks at her observantly, tilting his head to the side, sticking out a forked tongue as if tasting the air like a snake.

“What…do you want from me,” she manages to get out through her laboured breathing. 

“To eat you, of cour _ssss_ e.”

He throws off his cape, exposing a horrific, snake-like body, and rears up on his hindlegs.

She doesn’t have any energy left to scream, and knows it to be the last moment of her unremarkable life. She closes her eyes, bracing for a painful end. 

It doesn’t come. 

Instead, silence - not even the sound of ragged breathing or the gross flickering of the monster’s tongue that had been standing over her when she’d last closed her eyes. She cautiously forces herself to open them, one by one, still shaking.

“Actually, dinner’s over. And you look like you really need to be eating a salad, anyway.”

A young girl with a short black bob and blonde streaks of hair was standing behind her with an arm outstretched, the palm of her hands glowing with some sort of weird purple light. Jimin looks back at the snake-like man, now wrapped in a thin veil of purple light similar to what was emanating from the girl’s tiny hands, immobilized, small sparks of purple-coloured energy pulsing throughout his body.

“You…” it hisses, baring its fangs.

“Yes, me. Is that all?” The girl rolls her eyes. “That’s disappointing. I thought you’d set me up for a better punchline than that.” She clenches her hand into a fist and the purple light around the man contracts until he explodes with an ear splitting, high-pitched shriek, leaving a pile of gray ashes where he once stood. 

“I’m going crazy,” Jimin says out loud. “I’ve finally lost it,” she gets up, dusting herself off, barely able to stand with her knees still shaking from shock. Now that Jimin’s standing, she realizes she’s almost a head taller than the girl.

“A _thank you_ would have been nice,” she pouts, putting her hands on her hips. The purple light radiating from her hands started flickering and growing dimmer until it faded away, leaving the two girls once again in the pitch-black darkness of the night, with not even the moon, only a single streetlight above them. “I was in the middle of watching a drama you know.”

“I’m sorry… thanks.” Jimin picks her bag off the ground and looks for her phone. “I think I need to call the police.”

“No!” The girl says, a bit louder than she probably intended to. “I mean, uh…don’t worry about that. I got it covered.”

“What? But you’re just a kid!”

“Excuse me,” the girl crosses her arms, “I’m 31 years old!”

“You…what?” Jimin looks her up and down. “You know, that bob isn’t helping.”

The girl (or the… woman?) is physically taken aback, putting a hand over her chest. “I paid a lot for this haircut!”

“Okay, I- This doesn’t matter right now, and I’m sorry if I’m coming off a little rude, but you have to understand that I’m going clinically insane, I probably have some sort of hallucination disorder that I don’t know about, and that… _thing_ just tried to _eat_ _me._ Who are you anyway? Where did you come from, and…how did you do that?”

“Do...what?” The girl's tone of voice was different now. She cocks her head, eyebrow raised.

“You held out your hand and wrapped that snake-man-monster _thing_ in a blanket of purple light or something, and then you crushed him with it and he blew up into a cloud of ashes.” Jimin repeated what she just said in her mind. “Okay, yeah. I think I’ve lost my mind.”

“Wait,” the apparently 31-year-old girl walks up to her, speaking quieter now. “You could _see_ me do that?”

Jimin nods hesitantly. “How could I not?”

Immediately, the girl’s eyes widen and she looks around cautiously, as if someone could be eavesdropping into their conversation. “Come with me,” she says, taking her hand. “It’s too dangerous here. There’s a lot you don't understand.”

“Go with you where?” Jimin shakes the girl’s hand off of her.

“Just trust me,” she takes Jimin’s hand back. 

“Why would I trust you?” Jimin replied a bit harsher than she would have liked. 

“Because I just saved your life,” the short-haired girl says back, “and you’re going to need a lot more saving now unless you come with me. There’s no going back now.”

Jimin can’t argue with that. "Alright."

“Okay honey, gimme a sec.” The girl takes out an archaic looking flip phone and dials a number. She’s left waiting for almost a minute, tapping her foot impatiently. “Mark?” Her tone changes to one of annoyance. “Okay, okay, yeah, I don’t care if you’re in the middle of eating a hot pocket right now. No. No. _No._ Fine. Okay fine, I’ll buy you more tomorrow, I just - okay could you please shut up? I need you to initiate _REKALL_. For me and…” she looks over to Jimin, “a friend. Yes, now,” she says, rolling her eyes. “I’ll explain later. Okay thanks.” She hangs up abruptly. “Sorry about that,” she says. “He annoys me to my core.”

“What’s… _REKALL?_ ”

“Just hold onto me as tight as you can. We’re a little far from Seoul, so the connection is going to be a little fuzzy.”

Jimin didn't need to ask any more questions. She wraps her arms around the abnormally petite girl (which was quite easy to do, seeing as though she was nearly a foot taller than her) as the girl types in a passcode into her flip phone (also which, quite frankly, Jimin didn’t know still existed until now). Suddenly, they’re enveloped in a column light, and Jimin can feel herself being sucked upward through a portal. 

She closes her eyes.

Her body felt like it was coming undone, particle by particle, until she was floating through a void. It was dizzying. She felt sick. 

Then, darkness.

♥♥♥

_Welcome to my palace_

_Champagne in your chalice_

입에 다 넣은 순간 _follow to me_

제대로 볼수있게 _too deep_

♥♥♥

Jimin’s eyes flash open. 

She shot up in her bed. Her head was spinning. In a daze, she rubbed her eyes a few times until her vision became clear. _Was it all a dream?_ Taking a look around, her heart dropped. _No._ This wasn’t her room, and this wasn’t her bed. She takes what appeared to be a hot compress off of her forehead, setting it aside on the nightstand beside her.

Inspecting the room around her, the room was small, but cute, and whoever’s it was kept it clean. A bit of light peeked through the window between sheer white curtains, above a small desk with a few potted plants and some neatly organized Muji writing supplies. The view was unfamiliar, but it wasn’t alarming - it was bright and sunny outside now, and she could see people casually out amidst the cars on the road. She wasn’t too high up, likely on the second floor of some building. The bed was warm, comfortable even. She spotted her backpack next to her on the floor. Grabbing it, she fumbled through its contents to check if all of her things were still inside. _Wallet, lipstick…_ She was about to panic when she realized her phone was charging and within arm’s reach on the nightstand, plugged into the outlet next to her bed.

The door to the room opens. It’s the short-haired girl from last night.

“Oh, good, you’re awake,” the girl walks in, closing the door quietly behind her. “I was worried I was going to lose you through the _REKALL_ portal. It’s been a while since I’ve had to use it. I made you some barley tea. Here,” she says, putting it down on the nightstand next to Jimin. 

Barley tea was her favourite. “Thanks,” Jimin takes the warm beverage, drinking it slowly. “Where…did you take me?”

“I realize I have some explaining to do,” the girl says, sitting down next to her on the bed. “But first, introductions. My name’s Kim Taeyeon! And you’re safe now - you’re staying at my place in Seoul,” she smiles, subtle dimples forming around her mouth. Her eyes curved into little crescent moons whenever she did. “Don’t worry, you’re in an extra guest room. Nobody’s used it for a while, but I’ve kept it tidy.” Jimin’s always been good at sensing people’s intentions through the energy they gave off. In Taeyeon, she could only feel warmth and comfort - almost like she's known her all her life. 

“I’m Yoo Jimin,” she replies between sips of barley tea. “I’m sorry if I was a little snappy last night. I swear I’m not like that all the time. Thanks,” she says, “for saving me.”

“Oh, don’t mention it,” Taeyeon dismisses with a wave of her hand, “that monster was a piece of cake. D-rank. And I didn’t really like that drama I was watching anyway. I’m just glad you’re here!”

“So everything that happened last night,” Jimin says. “It was real?”

“Actually, that was three days ago.”

“I’ve been asleep for three days?”

“Yep.”

Jimin feels a wave of nausea wash over her. She looks at her phone to check the date. It’s true. “This is all so wild,” she says under her breath. “I feel like I don’t even know who or… _what_ I am anymore.”

“You actually may be right,” Taeyeon says with a finger pointed in the air. “Everything you know about the world, and about yourself, is going to change. Allow me to explain. You,” she points to Jimin’s chest, “are an Avatar. Like me!” She smiles (she seemed to do that a lot). “It’s been a long time since I found another unawakened Avatar around the city. A few years, actually.”

“An…Avatar? Like, the blue aliens from the movie? Or like the ones from Avatar the Last Airbender?”

“Um,” Taeyeon puts a finger to her mouth, pondering for a moment, “kind of. In some ways. Some of us can actually manipulate elemental forces! So they could be considered benders! But some of our powers are a little different. I'll explain more about that later. And, we’re not exactly aliens - we’re still humans. I think.”

“You think?” 

“Well, it’s complicated. We resemble humans...but we can do things that are a little different. There are still some things that even we don’t know the answers to. But,” she points another finger in the air, “what we do know, is that we each have unique abilities and powers called Affinities. My Affinity is _electromagnetic_ _energy._ I can make force fields,” she holds out her hands, a familiar purple light emanating from them, “and control them.”

Jimin takes it all in while taking another sip of her tea. She couldn’t help it - she loved the taste of barley tea. ( _How did Taeyeon know it was her favourite anyway? Or was it just a coincidence?)_ “So how are you so sure that I’m one of you?”

“Because only we can see each other’s powers, and only we can see Antis. Well, officially, they’re called Anti-Avatars, but most of us just call them Antis. They’re essentially just monsters from alternate dimensions, like the one that was chasing you down three nights ago. Nobody knows how they get here, but they’ve been causing chaos on earth since the beginning of time. And for as long as anyone can remember, Avatars have taken on the responsibility to hunt them down and get rid of them. At least, that’s what my old mentor told me…” Taeyeon looks at the light pouring in from the window, and for a moment, Jimin thinks she sees a glimpse of solemn sadness flash across her face. “...And now I’m passing on the knowledge to you!” She smiles, the sadness disappearing almost as quickly as it had appeared. “You may not have known that you were an Avatar before, but now that you’ve _seen_ me, and now that I’ve _seen_ you, the Avatar inside of you has been _awakened._ There’s no going back from it.”

Jimin felt like her world had been turned upside down, but at the same time, like a missing puzzle piece was sliding into place. Her old life was so mundane, so purposeless. So _unremarkable._ And what terrified her, more than the Anti that was trying to kill her, more than Taeyeon’s glowing purple hands, or any of all _this_ \- was that when she genuinely thought she was going to die three nights ago, she didn’t _care._ In the midst of all the chaos, in that moment that her life flashed before her eyes, she realized that she’d been depressed, and not even known it. If what Taeyeon’s telling her is true, which she does believe it to be - she’d gladly leave it all behind. “I don’t think I want to go back.”

Taeyeon looks into her eyes, as if she’d found something she was searching for. She puts a hand on Jimin’s shoulder. “You don’t know how happy it makes me to hear that.”

The door suddenly swings open. 

“Breakfast!” A guy around Jimin’s age stumbles into the room, smelling like burnt butter. He was wearing a ketchup-stained, floral-print apron over an undershirt and sweatpants. A pair of glasses was barely holding onto the edge of his nose, and his hair was a mess. He looked at Taeyeon and her hand on Jimin’s shoulder, then to Jimin, then back at Taeyeon. “Oh my gosh, I’m _so_ sorry. I didn’t know you two were having a moment.”

Taeyeon only stared back at him with deadpan eyes. “Mark, can you just-”

“Don’t worry, I’ll let you two connect and _SYNK_ some more! But the pancakes are going to get cold if you don’t wrap it up soon," he says with a twist of his finger. "Oh,” he glances at Jimin a little timidly, “I’m Mark by the way. I heard all about you. Nice to,” he winks and snaps his fingers, making a popping sound with his tongue, “ _connect_ with ya.”

“Mark, if you don’t-”

The door slams shut.

Taeyeon sighs. “I hate him.”

Jimin stifles a laugh. “Your little brother?”

“ _God_ no,” Taeyeon’s eyes widened at the prospect, “cousin. From Canada. But anyways,” she gets up from the bed, “he’s right about one thing - it’s time for breakfast!”

Jimin gets up after her, following the older girl out the door. _(Or should she think of her as a woman? She still wasn’t sure.)_ The apartment was extremely spacious, almost like a house. In the hallway, there were several other bedrooms, some with their doors closed and others with their doors swung open, revealing everything inside of the room and the personality of the owner along with it. In one such room, a mountain of stuffed animals was piled up on the bed. 

The hallway corridor opened up into the kitchen and a small living space with a couch and a TV. A Nintendo Switch console and controllers were messily scattered over the coffee table. 

On the kitchen side of the space was an enormous refrigerator and a stylishly decorated island, which doubled as a bar, where Mark was haphazardly pouring orange juice into a few cups. And on the kitchen table were four plates of pancakes, where Taeyeon was seated, next to…

The most beautiful girl Jimin had ever seen.

“Hi,” the beautiful girl says. _She can talk._ “My name is Minjeong.”

♡

_Rolling around the world_

_City to city, I swerve_

_I don't care when I'm in the dark_

어딜 가도 빛나는 _pearl_

완벽한 비전, 앰비 션 _it's crystal clear_

 _Beauty in struggle_ 난 그말을 믿었기에

♥♥♥

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our icy princess Winter has made an appearance! And her sister Taeyeon has taken Jimin under her wing. But what does all of this mean? What is Jimin's Affinity (i.e. her power...) and when is she going to discover it? Why are they all staying in Taeyeon's suspiciously large apartment in Seoul? And why does Mark have ketchup stains on his apron if he's making pancakes?! 
> 
> Stay tuned to find out ;)


	3. A Light in the Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jimin finds herself falling for Minjeong's charms over breakfast. Mark shows her around and gives Jimin her own NAVIS, making Jimin an official part of the Guild. She's initially reluctant, but something within her tells her to accept the new life she's been given. Meanwhile, a threat slithers in the shadows of an unknown dimension that's shrouded in darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi lovely readers!!!! I hope you're all keeping safe in these precarious times... <333333 And I hope you enjoyed Chapter 1! There's a lot more on the way :) In the mean time, let's follow Jimin as she continues to find her bearings...

♥♥♥

数万色最強で _glare_ な _flat_

_I'm on it, the plans I've set up_

♡

“Mark, these pancakes quite frankly taste like ass.”

“Excuse you,” Mark says dramatically, clutching at his chest. “Watch your mouth, my child.”

“And stop calling me that,” Taeyeon furrows her brow. “I’m like, ten years older than you!”

“Hey, I’m not the only one around here that thinks that. Didn’t you say that Jimin thought you were ‘ _just a kid’_ when she was about to call the police the other night?” He says exaggeratedly with his hands and a mouthful of pancakes. “We’re all thinking it.”

Taeyeon shoots him a death stare. “Watch it, mister. You’re one word away from me expanding a force field inside of you and blowing you up like a balloon.” _(In Mark’s defence, the threat would be hard for Jimin herself to take seriously - Taeyeon still looked adorable while threatening his life.)_

“Woah, woah, woah,” Mark throws his hands up in the air in surrender. “You started it by complaining about my delicious pancakes. Just keep pouring maple syrup over them, you’ll be fine. Trust me. I’m Canadian, eh?”

“You just had to throw that last part in there, didn’t you.”

“You know it,” he winks. “But seriously, though. Maple syrup. It’s like, the nectar of the gods.”

“Yeah? And not ketchup?” She retorts, glancing down at the red stains splattered all over his otherwise matronly-looking apron.

Mark follows her gaze downward. “Oh, you mean these bad boys? These actually aren’t ketchup stains, it’s blood,” he says casually. “I cut myself trying to open a new box of hot pockets last night and used the apron as gauze.”

Taeyeon almost spits out her food in disgust before yelling something back at him, but at that point, it all started to become white noise as Jimin tuned it out from her auditory perception. Instead, her senses were much too preoccupied with the dazzling beauty of the girl sitting across from her, quietly eating her pancakes amidst the chaos as if it were just another normal breakfast conversation. _Minjeong,_ she’d said her name was when Jimin sat down at the table a few moments earlier. She had long, ash blonde hair that seamlessly transitioned into a silver-blue ombré, and sparkly blue eyes the colour of sapphires. A cute, button-nose sat perfectly between two slightly chubby cheeks, as if she were storing snacks inside of them for the winter. She hasn’t said anything after introducing herself, far too concerned with eating her pancakes. _Cute._

Minjeong looks up from her plate and Jimin quickly averts her gaze, pretending to be looking at something far off in the distance.

“It’s Jimin, right?” Minjeong asks.

“Yes,” she responds a little too quickly, immediately returning the eye contact. “Yes, I believe that’s me,” she adds, before internally kicking herself. _I ‘believe’ that’s me?_ _Smooth, Jimin. Real smooth._

“I’m sorry about them,” Minjeong says, cocking her head in Taeyeon and Mark’s direction, the two of which were still embroiled in a heated argument over the appropriate use of a kitchen apron. “You get used to it after a while.” Her pink lips break into a smile, and Jimin thinks her heart might stop. 

“It’s alright, I…I kind of like it, actually,” Jimin laughs, a little surprised at her own honesty. “I never knew my parents, and I grew up being passed around the foster care system before living on my own,” she looks down at her plate, shifting around pieces of broken pancake with her fork. “I’ve always been by myself, so it’s pretty fascinating to see how real cousins bicker.” She stops herself there, realizing she might be oversharing. “Sorry,” she says, “I didn’t mean to put all of that on you when we literally just met.”

“Oh my gosh no,” Minjeong shakes her head, “don’t apologize! I’m so sorry you had to go through all of that.” She gives Jimin an empathetic look and pauses for a bit, taking a drink of water. “My parents died when I was really young, so I don’t really remember what they were like,” she says in a smaller voice. “But I was lucky that I had my older sister to rely on. I don’t know where I’d be today without her. For you to go through it all on your own…I can’t even imagine how hard that must have been.” 

“I…Thank you,” Jimin manages to say. So Minjeong not only had a pretty face, but also a pretty heart. In Jimin’s book, that made her even more beautiful. “I’m sorry about your parents too. But I’m glad you had your sister to lean on,” she smiles. “Where’s your sister now? If you don’t mind me asking.”

Minjeong giggles. “Well. She’s sitting right next to me.”

Jimin’s eyes widen. “You and Taeyeon are sisters?” She asks incredulously. Looking at them side by side now, she could definitely see the resemblance. That also meant that Mark was…also Minjeong’s cousin?

“Huh? Did you say something Jimin?” Taeyeon abruptly breaks out of her argument with Mark at the sound of her name. “Sorry, I’ve been distracted by this bonehead all breakfast.”

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Minjeong shrugs, “Jimin and I were just introducing ourselves to each other. She’s really cool.” Minjeong flashes her another smile, and Jimin thinks she can see the stars in her eyes.

“Oh, that’s lovely!” Taeyeon's annoyed expression suddenly dissolves.

“Yes, yes _she_ is,” Mark winks. 

Taeyeon furrows her brow, her facial muscles tensing up again. “Was that really necessary?”

“Was what necessary?”

“Okay, whatever Mark, just…could you please just introduce Jimin to the _NAVIS_ system later?” Taeyeon checks the time on her watch. “Jaehyun’s off for the weekend so we’re short a barista downstairs, and Minjeong has a job request out in the city today,” she says to him before turning to Jimin. “I know this all might sound confusing now, but Mark will explain everything soon!”

“Oh my gosh, sure! I thought you’d never ask,” the Korean-Canadian boy relaxes into a wide grin before breaking out into a random bout of high-pitched laughter. 

Taeyeon gives Jimin a testing glance, as if evaluating her reaction at the news that she had to spend the rest of the morning with her kooky cousin. She returns her gaze to Mark, eyes narrowing. “When I get back, I better not hear that you tried flirting with her or I’ll kill you myself.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Jimin thinks she can see Minjeong smiling.

“Relax cuz,” he says nonchalantly, putting his hands behind his head. “Jimin, come follow ol’ teach over here after breakfast. I’ll show you around.”

♡

キミの思考より大胆

でヤバいかも _warning_

♡

Jimin found her thoughts constantly drifting back to Minjeong’s smiling face. _See you later,_ she’d said to her before stepping out the door with Taeyeon, leaving Jimin stranded with their overzealous cousin and butterflies in her stomach. Minjeong smelled strongly of strawberries, though Jimin’s not sure if it’s because of her shampoo or if that’s just the way her brain chose to perceive her.

After making quick work of the dishes (with Jimin’s reluctant help), Mark’s demeanor seemed to change (for better or worse, she couldn’t tell - she thinks better). 

“I can’t believe Taeyeon asked me to do this!” Mark says to himself. “Okay, so, Jimin,” he clasps his hands together. “Let’s get started with the house tour. This, obviously, is the kitchen,” he gestures to the space around them, “and over there is the living space where we watch movies and play games. Oh, and we have Guild meetings there sometimes, too.” He taps lightly on one of the couches. “Taeyeon sleeps on this couch when she drinks too much, so you might want to avoid it on Saturday nights. Don’t tell her I told you that,” he winks. Jimin follows him to the imaginary divide between the kitchen and living room. “This way,” he points to the door in a shallow alcove on the left, “leads to the stair corridor. We’re currently on the second floor; downstairs is the café. And this way, as you know,” he points to the right, down the narrow hallway, “leads to everyone’s rooms, and the bathrooms. Taeyeon’s room is at the end of the hall, and Minjeong’s room is across from yours. The others aren’t home right now…but I’m sure you’ll meet them soon enough.”

Jimin inspected the doors lining the hall. There were five bedrooms - Taeyeon’s room at the end, and two on each side of the hall, including the one that was now apparently hers. Two small bathrooms were sandwiched between the opposing bedrooms on either side. Jimin’s heart skipped a beat at the prospect of sharing a bathroom with Minjeong _._ “Sweet,” she says coolly, trying to downplay her excitement at potentially running into Minjeong washing up in the mornings.

Mark doesn’t notice, still fully enveloped in his newly assigned mentoring persona. “Nobody’s stayed in your room for a few years now, but Taeyeon’s been diligently keeping it tidy ever since Jaehyun and Sicheng graduated from the Guild. I guess she’s been preparing for the day she’d find another unawakened Avatar around the city.”

“Jaehyun and Sicheng?” Jimin asks. Sounded like boys. _Meh._

“Oh, sorry about that,” Mark says bashfully, scratching the back of his head. “Taeyeon’s old students. They started their own Guild not too far from here a few years ago, although they come over sometimes to play video games with me, and whenever there’s a Guild potluck. Jaehyun actually still works part-time as a barista downstairs.” 

“Wait, hold on,” Jimin says with her hands. “What’s a Guild?”

Mark raises an eyebrow, and then it clicks. “Oops, sorry, I forgot that you’re like, super new to all this. Okay, let me break it down for you,” he rubs his hands together, almost transforming into a cute chibi-like character as he prepares to explain. “Guilds are bands of Avatars that come together to fight crime caused by Antis, like the one you saw the other day!” He says passionately, throwing a few jabs at an imaginary monster in front of him. “There’s a centralized, online message board called the _FLAT_ that’s constantly updated with Anti sightings by Guilds around the world. Taeyeon was actually alerted by another Guild in Seongnam about a monster sighting before she found you! Sometimes, Avatars may even post job requests for other Guilds to accept and complete if they get too busy. Like Taeyeon mentioned earlier, Minjeong accepted a job request in Incheon today. I think I heard her say something about a report of an unidentified creature roaming the Incheon International Airport…”

Jimin had to admit - this was all actually pretty cool. It was definitely still crazy, but…cool. “So basically, you’re like, the Ghostbusters or something?”

“Precisely!” Mark beams, putting his hands on his hips. “Except we fight monsters called Antis. Although technically, Antis could be ghosts, too. They come from all sorts of other dimensions, so they could be anything, really…”

“And Taeyeon’s Guild-”

“Café SMile!” Mark prematurely answers her question before she could ask it. “You’re actually looking at one of Seoul’s top ten Guilds!” He beams, spinning in circles, still in his chibi-character form. “Taeyeon founded it when she was around our age.” 

“That’s the only part I don’t really get so far,” Jimin says. “Why do you call yourselves a café? Like, what’s all this talk about needing a barista downstairs?” She sits on the ledge of one of the couches in the living room. 

Mark takes a seat across from her on one of the kitchen’s bar stools. “Our _super-secret_ Guild HQ actually doubles as a café,” he takes a sip of orange juice. “We have to make money somehow, right? And I’m not sure if Taeyeon told you this already, but…regular people can’t _see_ our powers, or Antis, for that matter. Avatar Guilds basically function without government approval, so it’s important that we stay hidden from the general public. Which reminds me,” he puts down his cup of juice. “This is yours.” He walks over to her and pulls a metallic purple flip phone out from his back pocket, similar to the one Taeyeon had used the other night. “It’s your very own _NAVIS!”_

Jimin takes the flip phone and examines it, a little perplexed and a little unimpressed. “This looks a little…archaic. I didn’t know these still existed - I mean, I can give you the number to my own phone if that’s what you need.”

“Um,” Mark raises a pointed finger, “you’re actually holding one of the most advanced pieces of tech on earth! I invented it myself.” He sits next to Jimin and takes the _NAVIS_ from her, opening it. After pressing a few buttons, a futuristic holographic display unfolds in the air with a loud, electronic _BZZZT!_ sound. “You can use it to contact us via hologram, browse the _FLAT_ for job requests, and even check online scoreboards for the top crime-fighting Guilds and Avatars in each city! I also equipped it with a monster encyclopedia.” He says proudly. “Oh, and you can use it as a regular phone, too. Here, take a look for yourself.”

Jimin takes the _NAVIS_ back from Mark and stares incredulously at the holographic control panel. She suddenly has a flashback to the device Taeyeon had used the other night to transport them back to the Guild, and how she’d thought it was just an outdated cell phone at the time. “I remember Taeyeon used a function called _REKALL_ when she saved me. She did that using her _NAVIS_ right?”

“That’s right!” Mark nods. “But it’s still a relatively new app that I developed - the portal gets kind of laggy the further you get away from our HQ, and there’s a risk that you might get transported to another dimension if there’s even a brief disruption in the connection…so I wouldn’t recommend using it unless it’s an emergency! I made it so that you can only initiate it if you call me.”

“Got it.” Jimin shudders at the possibility that she and Taeyeon could have ended up in an alternate dimension the other night, but quickly becomes distracted fiddling with her _NAVIS_. She tries experimentally moving a few of the floating tabs around in the air to familiarize herself with the interface. “Mark, this is amazing,” she finds herself giggling like a little kid in a candy store. Technology was never something she was particularly interested in, but she’d only ever seen things like this in sci-fi movies. “And you invented this?” 

Mark’s bashful smile turns into a sly smirk. “Well, I’m a bit of a genius if I do say so myself,” he crosses his arms. “My Affinity is superhuman intelligence, so, you know. It comes with the territory,” he winks.

Jimin’s mouth drops. All this time, she thought Mark was just Taeyeon’s fratty cousin from Canada whose talent started and ended with cooking mediocre pancakes - it didn’t even cross her mind that he could be an Avatar. “No offence, but I couldn’t really tell.” _Crap._ That might have come across a little shadier than she intended. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

“It’s okay,” Mark says, pouting a little. “I get that a lot. Anyways, I really should be getting back to my lab upstairs,” he walks over to the door, sliding his feet into a pair of tattered-looking slippers. “I’ll show it to you some other time! There’s a lot more I have to tell you, but you’ve been through a lot recently…so you should probably get some rest,” he says in a softer voice. “For now, you can chill around here if you want. We have Netflix. Oh, and if you get hungry, you can grab something to eat from the café downstairs! I’m sure Taeyeon won’t mind sneaking you a croissant or something.”

“Hey, Mark?” Jimin calls out before he steps out the door. He spins around, adjusting his glasses.

“Yeah?”

“Thanks,” she says, allowing herself to smile. “All of this has been really overwhelming, but…things are starting to make a little more sense now. I really appreciate what everyone’s been doing for me.”

His expression relaxes. “No probs, beautiful. I’ll be upstairs if you need me.” He gives her another wink, snapping and pointing his fingers at her. 

The door slams shut behind him, and Taeyeon’s words from this morning echo in her mind. _“When I get back, I better not hear that you tried flirting with her or I’ll kill you myself.”_

Did that count?

♡

_I'm in my zone, making you wave_

_I'm in the flow_ 느껴 저 _sway_

♡

After spending some time playing around with her new _NAVIS,_ Jimin goes back to her room and sits down on the bed, looking empty-mindedly out the window. It was still sunny outside. She takes a moment to listen to the ambience of the city - the laugh-filled chatter of people walking down the street, the revving of car engines, the occasional ringing of a bicycle bell or the bark of a dog on a stroll with its owner. 

She let herself take it all in. Acclimate to it.

When she was walking home three nights ago in the dead silence of the night, it felt like all the noise in the world had been sucked out of the air, except for the sounds of the horrific Anti that’d been stalking her. Jimin shivers as chills shoot down her spine, thinking about its monstrous face. What would have happened to her if Taeyeon didn’t save her in time? She pushes the thought out of her mind. 

Everything that had transpired after that was honestly really terrifying - life was suddenly moving so fast after she was convinced that it was at a standstill.

But there was also a part of her that was excited. A dying flame, reignited with a spark.

Just a few days ago, she’d been completely oblivious to it all, living a life she believed she was destined for but didn’t want. That life seemed so far away now. _“I don’t think I want to go back.”_ That was what she’d said to Taeyeon this morning.

Taeyeon, Mark, and Minjeong didn’t even know her, and yet they treated her with such kindness. She’d never experienced this sort of kindness from anyone before…not even from herself. And she’d never felt so special. 

A new, exciting purpose that had been given to her - one she was willing to accept.

♥♥♥

_Waiting too long_ 그 시간이 됐어

_So ready to blow, G_

♥♥♥

A deafening thunderclap sounds off in the distance, shaking the stone walls of the castle. The noise fades as quickly as it had come, the clattering noise of the torrential rain once again taking its place. 

“Mistress,” a sly voice whispers in the darkness of the throne room. “A new Avatar has awakened near Seoul. The soothsayers say she may prove powerful. Though she does not yet know her power, and thus, neither do we…”

_“Interesting.”_

Another thunderclap strikes, closer this time. The flashing light briefly illuminates the massive room, casting the shadow of the powerful woman seated on the throne, her slender figure, her long limbs and long hair. The horns on her head; the staff in her hand.

“Would you like us to dispose of her, Mistress?”

“No. Not yet,” the woman responds, her tone laced slightly with curiosity. Her voice was piercing, as sharp as her tongue was pointed. “It’s been a few years since another has come from that part of Earth. Let us see what she can do. She may be of use to us yet.”

“As you wish, High Sorceress.”

The hooded witch swiftly leaves the room, her movement fluid despite her age, almost as if she were floating along the marble floor and not walking. 

The woman on the throne examines the crown jewel sitting atop her staff as she ponders this new information. Despite the darkness of the night, it glowed with a darkness even deeper than the sky itself. Even darker than her eyes, which shone like black diamonds. 

She thought she’d had every last unawakened Avatar in Asia killed. It appears as if one had somehow slipped through the cracks. Was it pure luck? It didn't matter.

Her myrmidons were in Europe now, continuing her extermination campaign, slithering in the dark. Taking them out, one by one. It made her skin crawl with excitement. Indeed, it would be a waste of time for them to turn back now. Yes, she would let this newly awakened Avatar in Korea live - for now. If her soothsayers were correct, she may prove a useful pawn for her future plans. If their predictions prove incorrect - she’d simply have them all killed. Including the new Avatar. In any event, it was only a matter of time before her underlings would finish extirpating all the unawakened Avatars from Earth. Then, they would begin to eliminate its awakened Avatars, region by region, one by one, until nobody could stand in her way. The girl would eventually be disposed of either way. Unless, of course, she would bow down before her and accept her as her queen. 

After all, there could only be one Avatar standing in her future kingdom. Only one that would stand and rule the weak humans that crawled over the petty planet called Earth, asinine fools destroying their own planet. They were begging for a queen to rule them. Destined. It was the perfect dimension for her to plunge into darkness - they had already begun damning themselves. It was almost comical. 

Soon, they would all know her name. Be chanting it, kneeling, only to her. One Avatar, standing above the rest.

That Avatar would be her. 

Lightning, strikes.

♡

모든 걸 삼켜버릴

_Black Mamba_

♥♥♥

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who was that, and what does she want with Earth?! She better not hurt Jimin! She's okay for now, but she may not be safe for much longer...! Luckily, she has new friends that would definitely protect her from danger. Taeyeon's stronger than many might think... as is her sister. And what's in the rest of Mark's lab, anyway? Stay tuned to find out~! 
> 
> P.S. CHAPTER 1 (the fic guide) HAS BEEN UPDATED WITH A FLOOR PLAN OF CAFÉ SMILE! Feel free to refer to it if you'd like to take a closer look at the layout of the café, Taeyeon's apartment, and Mark's lab. It's going to be one of the main settings of this fic, so make yourself at home~!


	4. Winter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minjeong accompanies Jimin on her very first mission out in the city in an attempt to figure out what her Affinity is. It's an easy job request for beginners, but it's quite stressful when you don't know what your powers are yet - and even more stressful when you're trying to impress a girl.

/please enjoy the sneak peek preview above~! new chapters are posted weekly/


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